A dental patient is travelling thousands of miles for vital root canal work - after claiming a York dentist advised him to look elsewhere for treatment.

Craig McKibbin, of Goodramgate, is making six return trips to London to be treated, after enduring four months stuck on an NHS waiting list in North Yorkshire.

Mr McKibbin, 31, eventually gave up waiting, and signed up to an NHS practice in Fulham instead.

He said an emergency NHS dentist in Monkgate advised him to go to Sheffield or London, to get the work done sooner.

He found the Fulham practice online, and said travelling to and from the capital was cheaper than getting the treatment done privately.

In an attack on North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust, Mr McKibbin said: "I think, in North Yorkshire, they need to get their act together. I find it hard to believe that so many people in York specifically have to wait so long to get a dentist.

"I think people from outside York tend to go back home to get their teeth treated. I searched online for NHS dentists in London. The emergency dentist suggested I try elsewhere, like London or Sheffield. It's pretty poor."

Mr McKibbin said he looked in Sheffield, but couldn't find any vacancies there either, so went to London where he used to live, and where friends were able to put him up.

His story emerged seven months after Prime Minister Tony Blair promised to sort out the dental crisis in the region.

When he visited York in March, Mr Blair told The Press that foreign dentists would be brought in if necessary to plug gaps in the service, caused by problems over new NHS contracts.

Last month, the trust said that more than 4,000 patients were still on their central waiting list. Mr McKibbin said he was not in agony, but his mouth was starting to get painful and needed treated soon. he needs root canal work on one tooth and two fillings.

He said he had already made four return trips, and has two more to go. He said return rail fares ranged from £30 to £72, but said he was advised private treatment would cost £600 to £1,000.

He said: "It is expensive, but it's still cheaper than paying for private treatment. I think dentists in York are happy to give private treatment, but I cannot afford that. It's cheaper to go to London and pay the fares."

His saga began in March, when he visited the emergency dentist at Monkgate in York.

He said: "She said she could patch it up temporarily, but after three or four months I would have to get it seen to by a dentist.

"I tried to get registered with one in York in that time, but I could not. So I looked at London."

Mr McKibbin had his first appointment during the summer, and returned to Fulham again last week. He said: "When the emergency dentist at Monkgate first told me to get a dentist I signed up to the list, and I phoned up all round from Harrogate to York to Pocklington, but none were taking anyone. I went on the list, but have not heard anything back."

The PCT failed to respond to Mr McKibbin's claims, despite being given more than 24 hours to comment.

NINA SWIFT asked people in York what they thought about waiting lists for dental treatment in York.

Jenny Dobson, 22, a camera shop assistant, of Clifton Green, York, said: "I'm not on a waiting list at the moment but I think it's terrible. You couldn't wait six months if you had toothache. I'd be gutted if my son had to wait that long."

Ben Pitts, 18, a member of York Ambulance Service, of Pocklington, said: "To be honest I don't think it's very good. I have recently had my wisdom teeth out. I did get in as an emergency but it did take a while to come through."

Sue Slade, 36, a sales executive, of Howden, said: "From personal opinion I have been quite lucky. I have moved from an NHS practice in Acomb to another in Howden. It is a big issue to a lot of people but I personally don't have a problem.